Two-piece journal box seal means



May 22, 1962 BOLLINGER, SR

TWO-PIECE JOURNAL BOX SEAL MEANS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 7, 1961 INVENTOR. LUTHEP .4- 50u/v05/e,se

May 22, 1962 L. L. BOLLINGER, SR

TWO-PIECE JOURNAL BOX SEAL MEANS 2 Sheets-$heet 2 Filed Feb. 7, 1961 INVENTOR. 4 UTHEE L- 5040/1/062, Jae.

United States Patent Ofiice 3,035,844 Patented May 22, 1962 3,035,344 TWO-PlEgE JOURNAL BOX SEAL NIEANS Luther L. llorlinger, Sr., 618 Alton Ave., Reading, Pa. Fried Feb. 7, 1961, Ser. No. 87,622 Claims. (Cl. 277-132) This invention relates to dust guard devices for journal box housings, and more particularly to an improved dust guard assembly adapted to be installed in the dust guard well of a railroad vehicle journal box.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved dust guard assembly for use in the dust guard well of a railway vehicle journal box, said assem bly being adapted to be installed in the dust guard well or removed therefrom while the associated journal is in place, whereby the dust guard assembly may be installed without requiring the associated car truck to be disassembled.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved seal assembly for use in the dust guard well of a railway vehicle journal box, the assembly in volvrng simple components, being easy to install, and eifectively preventing dust, grit, or other foreign material from entering the associated journal box. A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved dust guard assembly for use in the dust guard well of a conventional railway vehicle journal box, said assembly being inexpensive to fabricate, being durable in construction, and being highly efiective in keeping the lubr cant in the journal box and preventing dirt or other foreign material from entering the journal box.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claims, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary top plan view of the portion of a railway journal box including the dust guard well thereof and showing a portion of the adjacent journal and wheel.

FIGURE 2 is a vertical cross sectional view taken substantially on the line 22 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a transverse vertical cross sectional view taken substantially on the line 33 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a horizonal cross sectional view taken substantially on the line 44 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view showing the components of the improved sealing device of the present invention in separated positions.

Referring to the drawings, 11 generally designates a conventional journal box used on the trucks of a railway vehicle, said journal box comprising the main housing 12 which is provided at the end portion thereof adjacent the associated wheel 13 with a dust guard housing 13. The dust guard housing 13 is open at top end, as shown at 14, and is provided with the respective relatively large apertures 15 and 16 through which the associated axle 17 can pass, said openings being suificiently large to provide a substantial amount of clearance.

Designated at 17 is the main portion of a dust guard assembly adapted to be installed in the conventional dust guard well 13. The main sealing member 17 comprises a body of relatively flexible and yieldable sheet plastic material, for example, of Adiprene. The body 17 is generally annular in shape but is provided with the interlocking separable mating thickened top portions 18 and 19 so that the body may be handled substantially as a strip member during the installation thereof in the dust guard well, as will be presently described. As shown in FIGURE 5, when the interlocking thickened marginal rib elements 18 and 19 are brought together in interlocking relationship, they define a substantially radial rib element which has convex side edges, said side edges being somewhat undercut, the mating interlocking rib elements 18 and 19 being locked together by means of a spring clip 20 having opposing hook-like curved ends adapted to lockingly engage around the convex side edges of the aforesaid composite rib defined by the interlocking elements 18 and 19 in the manner illustrated in FIG- URE 5, whereby to secure the mating members 18 and 19 in interlocking relationship and to prevent separation of the top end portions of the member 17.

The member 17 is integrally formed at its opposite sides with thickened lugs 21, 21 which are vertically disposed when the sealing assembly is installed, and which are formed with the respective vertical bores 22, 22 opening at the top ends of the lugs.

Cemented or otherwise suitably secured to the lower portion of the flexible plastic main body member 17 at its rear surface, as viewed in FIGURE 5, is a generally semi-circular body of sponge rubber material 23 adapted to be sealingly received in the lower portion of the dust guard well 13 and adapted to substantially completely fill said lower portion and to sealingly press the adjacent portion of the flexible main body member 17 against the inside surface of the front wall of the dust guard well, as is clearly shown in FIGURES 2 and 4.

As shown in FIGURE 5, the main body 17 is formed to define a relatively flexible axially extending central portion 25 having a circular sealing rim 26 adapted to sealingly engage on the axle journal portion 27, as shown in FIGURE 2, so as to seal said journal portion against the entry of dust, grit or other foreign material. As will be readily understood, the rim 26 sealingly engages the journal portion 27, but allows free rotation of said journal portion.

Designated generally at 28 is a top cover member or plug element adapted to be sealingly engaged in the top portion of the dust guard well 13, the member 28 comprising a body of sponge rubber material, shown at 29, similar to the material of the member 23. Molded in the body 29 is a rigid reinforcing frame comprising a transversely extending rod 30, to the ends of which ar rigidly secured a pair of vertical rod members 31, 31 said rod members being provided with the exposed hooklike curved top portions 32 and with the exposed depending straight vertical lower portions 33. The elements 33, 33 are spaced to be received in the vertical bores 22, 22 of the lugs '21, 21 when the cover member 23 is installed in the top portion of the dust guard 12, as will be presently described, the elements 33, 33 being engageable in said bores 22, 22 in tight frictional relationship therewith so as to act as a locking means to retain the cover member 28 in place.

As shown in FIGURE 5, the body 29 is suitably contoured to engage over the top portion of the main sealing member 17 in overlapping relationship therewith, and is recessed, as shown at 34, to receive the composite, generally radial rib member defined by the interlocking elements 18 and 19, the body 29 being formed with a lug element 35 adapted to overlap the top portions of the members 18 and 19 in the manner illustrated in FIG- URE 2 so as to exert compressive force on the members 18 and 19 and to inhibit their separation.

As shown in FIGURE 5, the portions of body 29 on opposite sides of the lug 35, designated respectively at 38, 38, are somewhat reduced in thickness, relative to the thickness of the main portion of body 29, so as to receive the top portions of body 17 on opposite sides of the composite rib defined by the interlocking elements 18 and 19.

In installing the sealing assembly, the main body 17 is first engaged in the dust guard housing through the clearance space 16, with the body 17 in strip form, namely, with the elements 18 and 19 separated, one end of the body being engaged into the dust guard housing through the opening 16 and the body being then pushed around the interior of the housing, the strip being continuously fed into the housing 13 from the side at which it was originally inserted, until finally the entire strip is positioned in the housing with the thickened end portions 18 and 19 in engagement with each other and interlocked. During this process, suitable shield plates may be employed in the dust guard housing positioned against its inner wall to prevent the strip from being forced through the opening 15. The shield plate elements may be in the form of a pair of generally semi-circular plates insertable through the top opening of the dust guard housing 13 on opposite sides of the axle journal 27, and being similarly removable after the main body 17 has been installed in the dust guard housing in the manner above described.

When the rib elements 18 and 19 are interlocked, as above described, the spring clip 20 may be engaged there on through the top portion of the opening 16, to lock the elements 18 and 19 in their cooperating mated relationship. Thereafter, the cover member 28 may be inserted, the cover member being supported by means of the arcuately curved handle elements 32, 32, and being lowered into the top of the dust guard housing i3 with the rod elements 33, 33 received in the bores 22., 22, the cover being then forced downwardly into the dust guard housing until its top surface is substantially flush with the top of said housing. In being thus forced downwardly, the flexible wing elements 38, 3S engage behind the respective portions of member 17 disposed on opposite sides of the composite rib defined by the interlocking marginal rib elements 18 and 19, and the lug 35 engages over the top portions of the interlocking rib elements 18 and in the manner above described, to clamp said rib elements in interlocked relationship. The rod elements 33, 33 are forced into the bores 22, 22 and frictionally lock therewith, serving to thereby retain the cover or plug element 28 in the top of the dust guard housing.

As will be readily apparent, the sealing assembly may be easily removed from the dust guard housing by following a reverse procedure, whenever replacement thereof is necessary.

While a specific embodiment of an improved dust guard assembly for a railway vehicle journal box has been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood that various modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that no limitations be placed on the invention except as defined by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with the dust guard well of a railroad journal box, 'a sealing device adapted to be received in said dust guard well comprising a generally annular main guard member of yieldable material adapted to surround a railroad axle in the journal box and having a relatively flexible, axially extending central portion formed to sealingly engage the axle, said main guard member having separable mating top portions so that the guard member may be handled substantially as a strip member during the installation thereof in the guard well, and a cover member sealingly engageable in the top portion of the dust guard Well in overlapping relation With said mating top portions of said main guard member.

2. In combination with the dust guard well of a railroad journal box, a sealing device adapted to be received in said dust guard Well comprising a generally annular main guard member of yieldable material adapted to surround a railroad axle in the journal box and having a relatively flexible, axially extending central portion formed to sealingly engage the axle, said main guard member having separable mating top portions so that the guard member may be handled substantially as a strip member during installation thereof in the guard well, respective vertically extending lugs integrally formed on opposite sides of said guard member, a cover member sealingly engageable in the top portion of the dust guard well in overlapping relation with said mating top portions of said main guard member, and respective depending rigidly connected, rigid retaining elements on the opposite end portions of said cover member engageable in said lugs.

3. in combination with the dust guard well of a railroad journal box, a sealing device adapted to be received in said dust guard well comprising a generally annular main guard member of yieldable material adapted to surround a railroad axle in the journal box and having a relatively flexible, axially extending central portion formed to sealingly engage the axle, said main guard member having separable mating top portions so that the guard member may be handled substantially as a strip member during the installation thereof in the guard Well, respective vertically extending lugs integrally formed on opposite sides of said guard member, said lugs being formed with vertical bores, a cover member of resilient material sealingly engageable in the top portion of the dust guard well in overlapping relation with said mating top portions of said main guard member, and respective depending, rigidly connected rigid retaining elements molded in the opposite end portions of said cover member and being engageable in said vertical bores.

4. in combination with the dust guard well of a railroad journal box, a sealing device adapted to be received in said dust guard well comprising a generally annular main guard member of yieldable material adapted to surround a railroad axle in the journal box and having a relatively flexible axially extending central portion formed to sealingly engage the axle, said guard member being provided with separable mating interlocking thickened top portions, whereby the guard member may be handled substantially as a strip member during the installation thereof in the dust guard well, and a cover member of resilient material sealingly engageable in the top portion of the dust guard well in overlapping relation with said mating interlocking thickened top portions.

5. in combination with the dust guard well of a rail road journal box, a sealing device adapted to be received in said dust guard well comprising a generally annular main guard member of yieldable material adapted to surround a railroad axle in'the journal box and having a relatively flexible, axially extending central portion formed to sealingly engage the axle, said guard member being provided with separable mating interlocking thickened top portions, whereby the guard member may be handled substantially as a strip member during the installation thereof in the dust guard well, respective vertically extending lugs integrally formed on opposite sides of said guard member, said lugs being formed with vertical bores, a cover member of resilient material sealingly engageable in the top portion of the dust guard Well in overlapping relation With said mating interlocking thickened top portions, and respective depending, rigidly connected rigid retaining rod elements molded in and located at the opposite end portions of said cover member lockingly engageable in said vertical bores.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 685,841 Johnson Nov. 5, 1901 2,692,783 Foss Oct. 26, 1954 2,893,761 Peat July 7, 1959 

